Robert Plant’s favourite Bob Dylan track: “It’s such a fantastic song”
Bob Dylan‘s impact on the musical landscape is as significant as that of any other singular individual. After arriving in Greenwich Village with an acoustic guitar, a new identity, and a soul full of dreams, he quickly reshaped the art of songwriting.
While Dylan wasn’t offering something entirely new to fans, unlike his musical forefathers such as Woody Guthrie, he spoke directly to those of a similar age bracket. As a result, he quickly became hailed as the voice of a generation.
At the time of Dylan’s mainstream breakthrough, The Beatles were the biggest band in the world, and even they were awe-struck by Dylan. Not only did he introduce them to marijuana in a New York hotel, but his music changed their perspective on songwriting, leading them to venture into more adult territory.
Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, meanwhile, was a teenager when Dylan emerged, and he found it impossible to resist getting wrapped up in the singer-songwriter’s world. Plant’s life changed permanently when Dylan entered his ether. Suddenly, he saw the art of writing lyrics in a different light. The obsession was born over 50 years ago and remains burning bright today.
“Something happened when Dylan arrived. I had to grapple with what he was talking about. His music referenced Woody Guthrie, Richard and Mimi Farina, Reverend Gary Davis, Dave Van Ronk and all these great American artists I knew nothing about,” Plant once told The Guardian. “He was absorbing the details of America and bringing it out without any reservation at all and ignited a social conscience that is spectacular.”
While Plant had not even visited America, that only added to the mysterious appeal of Dylan, who felt like an otherworldly talent dropped down from heaven.
The rock singer added: “In these Anglo-Saxon lands we could only gawp, because we didn’t know about the conditions he was singing about. Dylan was the first one to say: hello, reality. I knew that I had to get rid of the winkle-pickers and get the sandals on quick.”
Dylan was painting a new world with his words that were foreign to Plant’s existence. However, despite their different backgrounds, Plant found himself gravitating towards Dylan, which eventually led to him beginning to write with the aid of his social consciousness. This completely changed his approach to writing lyrics, and even to this day, Dylan has demonstrated certain songwriting traits that he still can’t understand how to replicate.
One quality of Dylan’s that makes Plant green with envy is how the American can write from the perspective of others. The Led Zeppelin frontman discussed the subject during an episode of his podcast in 2020 following the release of Dylan’s album Rough and Rowdy Ways.
He said: “Whose soul are you really baring? Are you baring your own soul? … Do you go into character, or do you refer to people who you care about who are in trouble? And the song pours out from another angle. That’s quite something.”
Plant added: “My songwriting’s pretty … it goes in a straight line. The idea of me actually taking on the guise of somebody who’s been in some kind of situation that you can only watch from afar – it’s more than I can even imagine, to voice somebody else’s condition and actually be them in the song.”
Plant previously revealed that his favourite song by Dylan is ‘One More Cup Of Coffee‘, which is the finest example of this skillset he admires so greatly. The song is written from the perspective of a man who becomes infatuated with the daughter of a “Gypsy King”. Dylan was inspired to pen ‘One More Cup Of Coffee’ during a visit to France in 1970s when he visited a gypsy celebration at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, which made his songwriting instincts kick in.
Speaking to Charlie Rose in 2005, Plant described the creation as “a fantastic song” before adding, “I mean, how can I forget about Dylan’s contribution when he was the guy who woke us all up?”
Dylan’s songwriting sensibilities showed the world that tackling weighty subjects about important societal matters was possible, rather than just crafting melodic pop songs about the girl next door. He made an entire generation, including Plant, believe that music could improve the world. Although that sentiment remains questionable, there’s no denying that Dylan sparked hope in millions.
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